SnapStream Reveals New Personal Video Station
As the PC continues its march into the living room as a centralized home entertainment device, SnapStream Media has aimed to bridge the gap between familiarity of a television and the power of a low-cost computing platform.
The upcoming version 3 of SnapStream's Personal Video Station takes this digital convenience even further, giving users complete control over their TV viewing experience.
Call it TiVo for the PC - without the subscription fees. Previous versions of the software-only package were intended for recording, but Personal Video Station 3 was designed with live television in mind. PVS 3 can instantly pause, fast forward and rewind live TV, a feature SnapStream calls "timeshifting."
In addition, users can move around with a 7-second instant replay feature and a 30-second skip button for jumping over commercials (screenshot).
PVS 3, like most of today's personal video recorders, includes an integrated program guide that is always kept up to date. Users can browse show listings to schedule recordings and perform detailed searches (screenshot).
Taking a cue from Microsoft's Windows XP Media Center Edition, the most notable change in Personal Video Station 3 is a redesigned user interface that can be viewed from across the room. The full screen interface enables quick access to PVS functionality and can be navigated via remote control.
Portability is key according to SnapStream. The company has added MPEG-2 support to PVS 3 in order to simplify copying recorded programs to CD or DVD. Windows Media is also offered as a recording option, but when selected as the default file format, timeshifting is disabled.
Networking plays an integral role in Personal Video Station 3. Users can access recorded programs and even watch live TV over a home network or the Internet. This streaming functionality of PVS enables playback of shows on a television using PRISMIQ's networked MediaPlayer or Sony's Playstation 2 running BroadQ.
When on the run, users can watch recordings on a Pocket PC, but at a much lesser quality. Recordings can also be scheduled remotely using the SnapStream.Net service from any Web browser, WAP cell phone or Pocket PC.
SnapStream plans to release Personal Video Station 3 in early June, although a release candidate is currently available for download from BetaNews. A TV tuner card is required and can be purchased directly from SnapStream. PVS 3 is expected to retail for $99.99 USD and will not require any additional subscription fees.